Nokia Lumia 520 And 720: Windows Phone For The Budget-Conscious

Nokia outed the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 at Mobile World Congress overnight. That smaller-numbered device is actually Nokia's cheapest Windows Phone 8 offering, with the Lumia 720 slightly higher up the food chain, somewhere between the Lumia 620 and Lumia 820.

The Lumia 720 (pictured above), has a 4.3-inch WVGA screen, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Call the tabloids — there's also a microSD card slot.

While there's a huge PureView-shaped omission from the specs sheet, Nokia has upgraded the camera tech inside the Lumia 720, with the rear-facing camera measuring 6.7 megapixels with an f2.0 aperture, and the forward-facing one clocking in at 1.3 megapixels.

There's no LTE, unlike the Lumia 920, so you'll have to make do with the slower data speeds. But at least it's only 9mm thick — a whole 1.7mm slimmer than the flagship phone. There's also NFC, and the ability to charge wireless if you plump for one of the compatible covers.

The display measures four inches, and Nokia says it's so sensitive, you can use it while wearing gloves — and they don't even have to be those special kinds with the little thumb-pads. RAM is listed at 512MB, whereas storage is 8GB with a microSD card slot, just like its larger brother.

The camera on the rear is five megapixels, whereas the forward-facing one is zero megapixels, because Nokia forgot to put one on there. Presumably to keep costs down and rid the world of poorly shot selfies.

Meanwhile, the same Cinemagraph GIF-making app seen on the last batch of Windows Phone 8 devices is going to be available on the Lumia 520, meaning even more people can not talk about that actually-quite-neat feature.

On sale sometime this quarter for €249 ($320), the Lumia 720 will come in matte red, cyan, yellow and black, and one glossy white option. Meanwhile, the Lumia 520 will be €139 ($180).

Stay tuned for Australian details.

Today at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Nokia announced two new smartphones - the Nokia Lumia 720 and the Nokia Lumia 520.
Both smartphones run Windows Phone 8 and represent a milestone in Nokia’s strategy to bring innovative technologies usually found in flagship devices to a wider audience.
Also announced was the rebrand of Nokia’s suite of location experiences under the HERE umbrella - HERE Maps, HERE Drive and HERE Transit.

Outlined below is a summary of the key announcements from MWC, along with links to further collateral, including product images of both the Lumia 720 and 520.

Nokia Lumia 720

• The Nokia Lumia 720 has a slim profile, comes in five bright colours and weighs just 128 grams.
• The highly responsive curved 4.3” Clear Black Display brings an innovative lamination process for wider viewing angles, and enhanced clarity in bright conditions.
• It has the best camera experience of any midrange smartphone. The main camera has a large f/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics which deliver bright, clear pictures day and night. It also has a front-facing camera for video calling, group and self-portraits.
• The Lumia 720 comes with the latest HERE suite of applications, including HERE Maps, HERE Drive for free turn by turn navigation and HERE Transit. Nokia Music offers unlimited music streaming, free of adverts or subscription charges; it also includes the ability to download playlists to listen offline.
• With NFC connectivity, music can easily be streamed from the Nokia Lumia 720 directly to NFC enabled accessories by tapping the two devices together.
• The Lumia 520 gives you access to all the best Windows Phone 8 experiences including Xbox, the Windows Phone Store to download applications and Microsoft Office.
• Nokia’s largest battery, 2000mAh battery, providing excellent battery life and performance
• 512 MB RAM and 8GB mass memory with support for micro SD cards up to 64GB and 7GB free SkyDrive storage paired with a 1.0 GHz Dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor

Nokia Lumia 520

• The Nokia Lumia 520 is an affordable smartphone delivering a rich selection of high end innovations taken from the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820.
• The smartphone contains many of the same digital camera lenses as the higher-end phones such as Cinemegraph, Smart Shoot and Panorama, as well as maps and navigation from HERE, free music streaming from Nokia Music and a four inch super sensitive touchscreen for a highly immersive smartphone experience.
• The Nokia Lumia 720 is available in yellow, red, cyan, white, and black and comes with changeable covers.
• The smartphone gives you access to a range of Microsoft experiences including Xbox, the Windows Phone Store to download applications and Microsoft Office.
• The Lumia 520 has 8GB internal memory – double most smartphones in this price category - and support for micro SD cards up to 64GB, as well as 7GB free SkyDrive storage if required.

Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

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